


Literature and The Art

by MeowasaurusRex



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Attempt at Humor, Bookworm! Minho, Falling In Love, Feelings Realization, Felix has a crush but guess who, Jeongin and Yedam appear for like 0.5 seconds, Librarian! Jisung, M/M, Mild Cursing, Minor Character(s), Seo Changbin - Freeform, bang chan - Freeform, feelings are hard, hwang hyunjin - Freeform, kim seungmin - Freeform, there's one spicy joke but that's it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29395440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeowasaurusRex/pseuds/MeowasaurusRex
Summary: "Should I call the National Museum of Korea or the Louvre Museum?""Um, neither. What’s your business with them?" Felix’s eyebrows furrow, not catching where their conversation was headed (probably towards something stupid, just like the billions of other conversations they had.) The glint in Jisung’s eyes made him all the more curious of whatever is in his friend’s disorganized, chaotic, and carefree mind."I think I just found one of Da Vinci’s works walking around Section R."ORHan Jisung was a "troublemaker" (and book anti) who landed himself a whole month of library duties- but after seeing a cute senior visit the library everyday and offer to read books with him, he thinks staying in a place he avoided like the plague isn't punishment at all.
Relationships: Brief mention of Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 12
Kudos: 69
Collections: MINSUNG FICATHON: Round One; 2020





	Literature and The Art

**Author's Note:**

> `Written for [MINSUNG FICATHON](http://twitter.com/minsungficathon), for PROMPT **P013**`  
>    
> `person A is a librarian, person B is a bookworm`
> 
> `did this in the midst of hellish school so it's honestly my pride and joy. bookworm minho is such a concept pls imagine him reading with his glasses and hoodies *faints* . the time stamps are okay to ignore right after the flashback but there's actually a hidden meaning to each one ;)`

**Week 0, Friday, 4:32pm**

Jisung knew that people would look at him like he was crazy if he tells them that it’s his first time to step foot in their high school’s library that smelled of aging wood and biblichor, so he decides to keep that piece of information to himself. He also chooses to shut up about how he developed a dislike for books or anything related to it when he hit adolescence. His parents, who’re part of a group of parents that meet up and talk- more like brag, honestly- about their children’s academic achievements (like in that one K-drama Jisung watches but is yet to finish), always pushed him to read a book one after the other. Kids his age would be running around the playground screaming their heads off and crying over wounds and bruises while Jisung would bask in the silence of their classroom, finish a chapter or two of his book, use the random drawings on ripped paper he always finds on his table as bookmarks (which continued to middle school, but years of trying to look for the mystery artist led to nothing), and write his stupid report. The amount of books he’s read until he reached 3rd year middle school has made him sick of seeing a single one of them. He’s seen enough books to last him a lifetime or two thank you very much.

But now, as one of the two student librarians of their high school’s library, he _cannot_ pretend to not see a single one of those demons that filled his 16 years with _knowledge and dread._

The junior sighs for the umpteenth time during his shift as he runs his slender calloused fingers on his dirty blonde hair, dry from all the dyeing it’s been through. Living in the dorms away from your strict parents gives you ultimate freedom so might as well take advantage of that as much as possible, the reason why his textbooks are all collecting dust under his bed. Teachers barely let them use them anyway, and when they do his trusty seatmate Kim Seungmin would always share his (after grumbling and scolding and sometimes asking for a favor so that Jisung can distract his boyfriend Hyunjin while he’s preparing a cheesy sickening surprise/date for him).

Time passes painfully slow for Jisung that he wants to cry. He considered doing so ten minutes ago, to beg on his knees in front of the guidance counselor who gave him _such a harsh punishmentÂ_ for someone who wasn’t proven guilty of vandalizing the school walls. Maybe if he caused a scene she would take pity in him and set him free from this book prison and let him slide…but that was if he were a main character in a story where everything turns his way because of emotional manipulation.

Life’s a bitch. Jisung hopes life stubs their toe and steps on legos for making him suffer.

"It’s not that bad," Felix, the other half of the student librarian duo and his childhood friend, sits on the wooden counter with a big goofy grin plastered on his face. "Sorting out books is fun, therapeutic, and unleashes your creativity." Unlike Jisung, Felix had nothing against books. He lived a peachy childhood because though his parents were part of the BrainFart Club (a code name the two invented one day when they dissed the club literally in front of the members, blocking out the heated debate about some novel they were too young to understand), his natural intelligence saved him from drowning in books. Jisung didn’t hide how jealous he was; in fact, it even came to the point where they had a huge fight (almost a fistfight) at the age of 12. It was resolved three days after with tubs of ice cream, Wii, and tissue boxes in Jisung’s bedroom.

Jisung snorts, though uneasy with the 'creative' part of sorting books because _God knows what his friend did to the shelves_. "Please tell me you followed the sections and aisle letters."

"What sections?"

"The color coding sections."

"That’s exactly what I did! Color coding!" Felix beams at Jisung proudly. Jisung feels like the murky library is suddenly too bright for four-thirty in the afternoon.

Jisung stares at him suspiciously, the tiny Han Jisung that dwells in his brain telling him _no, he did not do the correct color coding because he was too distracted with his crush wearing a muscle tee when he stood a few feet behind their librarian who was explaining how the books were sorted._ He honestly can’t blame Felix though, those were some good guns.

"I’m going to go check what you did," Jisung lazily gets up from his seat, chair scraping against the floor which earned him glares from nearby students. "All you did in the orientation was take in the sight of the ch-arms."

Felix kicks Jisung on the shin before sitting on the now-unoccupied chair with a huff. "Leave peasant."

Jisung runs away- yes, _runs-_ away from the flustered teen before he can spout more things that might embarrass him in front of the sophomore who was ready to check-out 5 books way thicker than Jisung’s legs. The whole place felt like a maze- and Jisung hates mazes. The looming shelves, cramped spaces, and endless books were making his head spin.

( _Jisung was 6 years old when they first put him in 'The Maze', a.k.a their huge garden with high bushes that blocked his sight of the exit. Every time his parents would see him slacking off, they would send him exactly on the center where the tiny gazebo was, away from any distractions. Although the place was beautiful and suited for peaceful alone time, it left a bitter feeling on the boy because it was always associated with his incompetence_.)

He stumbles a bit while climbing up the second floor, almost rolling down the stairs and causing another scene. With hurried (and careful) steps, Jisung makes his way to the shelves Felix told him he 'fixed'; his platform boots heavy against the newly-polished wooden floor. Jisung wonders if he’ll ever be in good terms with books, it was always a battlefield in his head when he thinks about it. A part of him says his reason is too 'petty' for him to hate books, but the other says that it’s completely valid because too much of everything was bad and it was a form of rebellion against his controlling parents. 

Yep. A war that Jisung rather not resolve.

He almost drops to his knees and sobs when he sees what kind of color coding Felix did. Rainbows. All he sees on the shelves are rainbows. They were grouped according to color and arranged in a rainbow-like manner.

_Color-coded. He isn’t wrong, but he isn’t right either._

Jisung doesn’t have the heart to get mad at Felix, no. Something shifted after their 3-day fight that Jisung never got mad at Felix ever even if he did the stupidest of things (But Jisung thinks it’s because most of the time he was doing the stupid thing too, but that’s something to unpack next time). With a pained laugh, he pulls out the book cart from the corner of the last shelf and starts rearranging the books. Relief washes over him when he sees that the alphabetical order was considered by the freckled-boy. 

Deep into his work, Jisung did not notice how he started to unconsciously hum a song he, Changbin, and Chan were working on. One whole verse was missing, and it was driving Jisung insane. His eyebrows unconsciously furrow and lips turn into a cute pout while he roughly pulls out books from shelves and shoves the correct ones in.

_Thud_

"Yah!" Jisung manages to contain the curses he badly wants to let out because that scared him shitless and gravity chose violence which led to the thick English literature compilation falling directly on his foot. He chokes on his words instead when he sees the fallen Chemistry book in front of white converse with wrinkly face doodles and poorly-drawn unidentified creatures.

Mr. Doodle Sneakers was squatting, _fucking squatting_ with those leather jeans and Jisung feels blood rush immediately on his swelling cheeks (and maybe somewhere south) as he internally curses Casual Clothes Friday even if it benefits him and his lazy dormer ass _._ His brown hair was messy, but for some reason it added extra charm to this guy and not like he had a fight with a chicken.

Jisung feels like the wind was knocked off his lungs when the boy stands up. He was a few inches taller, shoulders broader than Jisung’s and overall buffer than the sophomore. He carried some kind of confidence that made Jisung want to shrink, but Jisung internally screams _as he should_ because no way was he going to walk around the school with a face that gorgeous and confidence lower than the level haters stoop down to.

_Straight out of Da Vinci’s painting._

"Huh?", Pretty Boy™️¸ cutely tilts his head, a small feline-esque smirk forming on his pretty lips and his pretty brown eyes crinkling. _Pretty, pretty, pretty_ , Jisung thinks that the word pretty can be used to describe literally anything about this boy.

"Nothing. Haha, nothing!" Jisung responds a few octaves higher and winces. A light chuckle escapes the brunette’s lips, Jisung’s heart does a somersault- correction, _somersaults._

"'M sorry," he apologizes before walking off to who-knows-where. Jisung only lets out a strangled noise, far from 'Thank you for saving me yesterday.' To be fair, it’d be difficult for _anyone_ to utter words in front of a boy who’s highly likely part of Adonis’s bloodline.

Tiny. His voice is so tiny and smooth like silk it’s the opposite of his sharp features. Jisung feels all mushy inside. The feeling of butterflies flittering in his stomach sends his heart into a frenzy. How long has it been since he last felt that?

Jisung only snaps back to reality when the library doors are slammed shut by someone he didn’t care to know.

Deeming himself not fit to do further work because of his encounter with the handsome stranger? acquaintance? hero? Jisung leaves the unfinished work and heads towards the check-out counter. He almost falls down the stairs like a slinky if not for his trusty best friend holding his shoulders for balance. "Woah- easy there my dude. Saw a ghost up there or something?" Felix jokes, smiling so that his straight pearly whites showed, another thing about Felix Jisung was low-key jealous of.

Jisung’s brain has practically short-circuited at this point, filter broken because whatever he said after surprises him as much as it surprises Felix.

"Should I call the National Museum of Korea or the Louvre Museum?"

"Um, neither. What’s your business with them?" Felix’s eyebrows furrow, not catching where their conversation was headed ( _probably towards something stupid_ , just like the billions of other conversations they had.) The glint in Jisung’s eyes made him all the more curious of whatever is in his friend’s disorganized, chaotic, and carefree mind.

"I think I just found one of Da Vinci’s works walking around Section R."

—

**Week 0, Thursday, 12:41pm**

The sun was shining, birds perched on tall trees were chirping, students who had their lunch break at that time of the day were peaceful.

Han Jisung heated it. _Loathed_ it even.

It was...off. Sure it was nice that the school atmosphere changed for once, but everything was so harmonious that Jisung was scared one step on the brick pavement would cause a mass destruction or someone would start yelling 'food fight!' from the nearby cafeteria (the last food fight that happened a year ago was agreed to never be brought up again). Nevertheless, he continued walking down the path with his red headphones on and mop of newly-dyed dirty blonde hair covered by the hood of his supreme hoodie.

His gut feeling was bothering him too much. Too much to the point that he didn’t even try to dance a bit to the song he’s been hooked to lately- Blinding Lights, was it? It was a song Felix kept on playing in their dorm that he discovered through TikTok. It was practically screaming at him to duck. Yes, _duck._ The logical part of him was yelling at him to just shake off the feeling because it sounded pretty stupid. He was in a secluded part of the school. It’s not like a bag with illegal stuff would hit him square on the face-

Ouch.

There it was. The violent disturbance of the sunshine and rainbows day has finally arrived.

The mysterious bag thrown at him fazed him _just a bit,_ the squirrel-looking boy taking a few steps backwards because of the impact.

"Hey! You don’t just throw bags at people you know!", the pissed teen shrieked. "What am I supposed to do with this-" His heart sped up when he heard the clanking of metal inside. He felt his BLT sandwich climb back up his throat ready to launch out from where it went in.

_Bomb?! Why would a student have a bomb in school?!_

With very extra caution, the blonde unzipped the bag with shaky hands, breath hitching when he saw a sliver of red and silver. He pulled the slider until it hit the bottom stop, chanting "This is stupid!" and voice raising in pitch when he accidentally hit the bag with his foot.

The sheer embarrassment he felt after hearing the echo of his distress calls was deadlier than what was inside.

Spray paint cans. Specifically, _red and silver spray paint cans._

Jisung was ready to curl into a ball and get swallowed by the Earth there and then. Or maybe turn into a ball and bounce away? Or suddenly gain powers to shapeshift so that he'll join his squirrel brothers up in the trees to never be seen again and leave a myth about the boy who turned into a weresquirrel because he was stupid enough to think that spray paint cans were bombs. But of course, the universe had a better (read: worse) plan.

"You little fucker! How dare you hurt Yunhee!" Jisung didn’t have any time to figure out who was nearing him because the next thing he knew the guy’s fist made contact with his gut, sending him down to the ground. His beloved headphones went flying a few feet away, power light sputtering until it completely went out. Well, that was the end of his headphones, and next is his, he shuddered.

"W-what?", he coughed, vision blurry from the tears he’s about to shed out of pain, shock, confusion, and fear. "I don’t- I don"t know what you"re talking about-!"

Another kick. Jisung curled on the ground, breathing heavily because _what the fuck how can he kick with the power of a horse?!_ He closed his eyes and braced for impact upon seeing the fist aimed at his face.

Except it never came.

The _thud_ of a hardbound book opted Jisung to open his eyes and look past the assaulter (who was rubbing the sore spot on his head and swearing like a sailor) and at his knight in shining armor.

White converse with sharpie doodles of what looked like wrinkly faces and...ants? bears? cats? Jisung can’t really decipher what they were.

His savior left as fast as he came, much to the blonde’s dismay- or maybe relief because Yunhee’s boyfriend (Jisung knew him by face, how wouldn’t he if he always sees him with his classmate getting all lovey dovey or handsy in literally any place they’re spotted together) chased after the book attacker.

Groaning, he adjusted himself to get a clearer view of the book. Junji Ito’s _Tomie_. The full, hardbound edition one.

If he can throw a book at him, then maybe he can throw a punch or two as well.

(Jisung retrieved his lifeless headphones and staggers towards the clinic, explaining what happened to his poor stomach. The guidance counselor got involved, blindly accused him for pushing a lady and vandalizing the school walls with spray painted dicks ("How childish..." Jisung muttered and the guidance counselor glared daggers at him) and gave him the punishment of becoming the school librarian for one month along with Felix who was caught climbing the school walls to go see his college crush during break time. Yunhee's boyfriend was suspended from his soccer team. As for the book, Jisung left it on one of the benches in the school grounds in hopes of the owner finding it.)

—

**Week 1, Monday, 7:16am**

"Lee Felix Yongbok," Jisung emphasizes every syllable in the cutest way possible. "Can you fix the shelves today?" he innocently smiles at his best friend, cupping his cheeks and resting his elbows on the counter in hopes of convincing Felix to fix the shelves because no way was he going back there after what happened last week.

"Grow some balls. He’s just a handsome guy not some monster," Felix deadpans, busy rechecking all of the returned books on the database.

"That’s exactly my problem! Heâ’s a handsome guy, _the handsome guy who saved me from being beaten to a pulp_!"

"Isn’t that more of a reason to go see him? Thank him, treat him to the vending machine, hang out, fall in love, get married-"

Jisung doesn’t hesitate to throw half of his body over the counter just to shut his friend up, glaring at him through red-tinted cheeks. Felix only laughs harder when he sees who entered the library and is about to pass behind Jisung.

"Listen here you little- _what the fuck?!_ " Jisung ungracefully stumbles back, unfortunately landing on the passerby’s foot. He feels muscular arms wrap around his torso like they were doing a high school version of the famous Titanic scene. He tilts his head to get a clear view of the person. Big, _big mistake_.

"H-hi," _Nope. No way is Pretty Boy the one holding me right now. It’s time to book a flight to Spain and spend the rest of my days in hiding._

"You okay?", Pretty Boy’s breath tickled Jisung’s face, he scrunches his nose in response. Felix was egging on him from his peripheral vision, and a wave of confidence surges throughout his body.

"I’m currently held in the arms of a handsome stranger, what do you think?" _God that was so cheesy._ He can’t believe he said that.

"I think you’re having the time of your life," the brunette nonchalantly says, and Jisung’s train of thought halts because he wasn’t wrong and that was embarrassing to admit even to himself _._

"No comment," he answers while getting back on his own two feet. He remembers his left palm smothered with saliva and immediately hides it in his sweater pocket.

"Minho. Lee Minho," Minho, Jisung feels a bit giddy that he finally knows his name, leans on the nearby bookshelf. It sends Jisung’s heart into a frenzy because a pose so simple has turned him into a model that deserves the cover page of a magazine.

"I’m-"

"Han Jisung. I know."

Shit, his smile is so pretty. He wants to listen to that again, his name rolling off Minho’s tongue. Wait, _Jisung focus_.

"What are you? A stalker or something?" Jisung’s voice quivers near the end, because _the_ Lee Minho knew him and he didn’t even know of the guy’s existence before the Thursday incident. He feels robbed.

"Consider me as your guardian angel," Minho pulls out a book from the shelf, _The Art of Racing in the Rain,_ and winks at Jisung- he thinks that it was supposed to be a wink but it looked like he just forcefully blinked at him uncoordinatedly. "See you around Jisungie."

Jisung opens and closes his mouth like a fish, only for a breathless "bye" to come out. Everything, even Felix’s unholy screeching, faded in the background as he watched Minho round the corner of the long bookshelf, steps not even faltering one bit.

He does the same, _staring,_ when he sees Minho in the library that afternoon, nose stuck in the book he picked up earlier. He’s sitting on the floor this time, back leaning against the shelf and unoccupied hand smoothly running through his brown locks. He now had thin silver-rimmed round glasses perched on his perfect nose bridge.

"Go talk to him," Felix nudges his shoulder whilst giggling like a middle school girl. "Heard he’s a regular here in the library. Always busy reading a book."

Jisung gawks at him. "How are _you_ even sure he- you know-?"

"You two shamelessly flirted in font of my salad a few hours ago," Felix hands Jisung a paperback book from the pile of newly-arrived books. "Recommend him a book or something. Dunno what this is but I think you already read it."

Jisung checks the cover and indeed he has read that book. In fact, it was one of the best books he’s read. Perfect for a conversation starter. He casually strolls towards Minho, book on one hand and the other stuffed in his hoodie’s pocket (Correction: Chan’s hoodie’s pocket. He spilled iced americano all over his own hoodie an hour ago because of a sudden surge of lyric ideas that had him scrambling for a notebook and pen and knocking down everything in his way such as the iced americano and Changbin.)

"I guess you’re into tear-jerkers," he casually slides next to Minho and checks the page he was on because he was nosy like that. His jaw drops to the floor when he sees that Minho was already _halfway_ through the book. "You’re fast."

"So I’ve been told," Minho glances at Jisung with a suggestive smirk which earns him a slight shove from the blushing latter.

"Get your mind out of the gutter! You know that’s not what I meant!"

"That’s not what I meant either. _You_ get your mind out of the gutter," Jisung only huffs at the response, pretending to pick on a loose thread on Chan’s sweater. He should really buy himself new clothes, Jisung thinks, because he’s been wearing the same sweaters in a cycle they were bound to be worn out faster than expected.

"What brings you here?" Minho asks as he flips the page, "Don’t you have some books to sort? Books to check-out? People sucking each other’s faces to kick out?"

"Felix said he’d- what?"

"Second floor. Wouldn’t go there if I were you."

Jisung’s brows meet in the middle. _His statements contradicted each other._ "Then I won’t. Don’t look for something that’ll keep me busy. Be grateful I’m gracing you with my presence. It’s a blessing, really," he does obnoxious jazz hands to emphasize his point.

"Seems more like a curse," Minho teases. "And that’s hyung to you." Jisung pouts and halfheartedly stands up to leave, a part of him saying that Minho was serious about wanting to be alone. His heart ached at bit at that thought.

"Fine, fine, I’ll go swap with Felix. See you around hyung."

The tug at his sleeve stops him from going farther. "I was kidding. I appreciate the company."

 _What?_ "You-you aren’t annoyed?", he cautiously sits down again, chewing on his lip out of nervousness. 

"No silly," Minho pokes his cheek, catching Jisung off-guard. "And stop biting your lips. Don’t want them to bleed."

Jisung flushes, Minho’s voice laced with concern directly hitting his poor heart. He sits next to Minho in silence, something surprising even for himself. It was a comfortable silence, it felt just right. Jisung finds himself staring at the older’s side profile, and that was one breathtaking view. From the occasional creases of his eyebrows, steady movement of his brown pupils, perfectly angled nose (Jisung notes the small mole that adds charm to the senior), and plump glossy lips that mutter words from the book. _Ethereal._

"About your question, yes I do," Jisung snaps out of his daze. Minho turns another page, adjusting his glasses. For some reason, even that simple act made him look attractive.

"Oh," Jisung fumbles for the book, nudging it to Minho’s shoulder. "I heard you like books- not that I asked about you because that’s creepy!- I just heard it, overheard it from people. Um-anyways, here."

Minho takes the book from his hand, and Jisung notices how tiny they were- well, tiny in a sense that they were almost the exact same size as his and his hands were tiny as well. The thought of how the older’s hands would feel on his passes for a second.

"Ah, this book," the senior scans the review at the back, smiling from ear-to-ear, much to the happiness of the blonde. "I remember seeing the movie with my friends, but I fell asleep right in the beginning," Minho giggles, and it was the most angelic thing Jisung has heard.

"In that case, you can read the book with thrill! It’s one of the best books I’ve read, was not able to get over with it for a week," Jisung gushes. "Well-written, love the storyline, I love everything about it."

Minho lets out a hum of approval. "Then I’ll be reading this immediately after. Have you read this Jisungie?"

"Yeah, one of my favorites," Jisung answers, trying his best to decipher the unreadable gaze of the older. "Why’d you ask?"

"Do you-do you wanna read it again?" Minho hesitantly asks and positions the book in between them, hopeful eyes looking at Jisung practically begging him to agree. Reading has become a foreign thing for Jisung, but how can he resist the offer from _him_?

"Yes, _yeah_ , would love to," Jisung tentatively scoots closer until their thighs were touching. It sent a wave of electricity throughout his body. Minho did not seem to mind, as he went back to reading from where he left off. A small smile made its way on the junior’s face as he starts reading, basking in the comfortable silence and warmth of his new friend.

( Jisung argues with himself at the use ofÂ _friend_ Â to describe Minho. It felt wrong, so he settles with crush instead.)

—

**Week 1, Wednesday, 12:16pm**

"Creep," Changbin spouts, but his attempt in no way catches the younger’s attention. Usually, Jisung would rebuttal with an insult or two, but the way he’s silent about it makes Changbin suspicious of what the younger was up to for the past few days.

"Yah, Gollum, what’s up with that face?"

Jisung turns around, a dopey smile on his face matched with red-tinted cheeks. "Did you say something hyung?"

"You-" the elder squints his eyes, making sure he’s not seeing things because he has _never_ seen Jisung look like _that_. " _Do you like someone?_ "

"No…"

"You are the worst liar ever," Changbin shakes his head in amusement, giving up on finishing his Korean Literature assignment due in two hours. There was always time to rush it: specifically during the subject before and the 10-minute break in between. "So, who’re you making goo goo eyes at?"

"Well…" _They weren’t goo goo eyes per se, more like subtle glances and physical contact while they read books together as a result of the budding crush he has on the senior bookworm._ "That’s not my love language."

"Aha! So you _do_ like someone. My grade? College student? Or," Changbin wiggles his eyebrows. "Freshman, perhaps?"

"None of your business oompa loompa," Jisung swiftly avoids the punches thrown at him by the whining elder.

"Boo you fun-sucking rodent- Minho! Over here!"

At the mention of his crush, Jisung sits prim and proper on the chair, putting his shoes back on and smoothing out his hair sticking in different directions (He can’t help it. Physics was a pain and mussing up your hair is relieving.) Minho jogs towards the counter, wearing the finest jewelry Jisung has ever seen- his smile.

Also, he’s wearing shades. Thick framed, shiny, heavily-tinted Ray Bans.

"Oh, Jisungie, fancy seeing you here," Jisung can’t really tell if the older was looking at him, it was quite funny.

"I’m stuck here _for a whole month,_ you don’t listen to my stories after all!" Jisung dramatically slides down his chair while clutching his shirt. "It hurts. See these scissors? It’s for cutting our friendship. Farewell, Lee Minho."

"Get your dramatic ass up. What I meant was that you’re in charge of check-ins and outs for the first time. And besides," Minho leans on the counter, angled to look at Jisung. "I wouldn’t wanna miss a single word from those pretty lips of yours."

_This beautiful slick bitch._ Jisung thinks but acts the complete opposite because the dopey smile is back and he feels his legs go weak. _Flirting at the wrong place and time and in front of the wrong person._

Changbin coughs obnoxiously loud, loud enough to earn a few stares from other students and one freshman to spray alcohol all over her personal space bubble.

"So, where’s the problem?" Changbin sends Jisung a split-second teasing look before focusing on the Math problem that caused Minho to seek for the math genius during lunch. Jisung focuses his attention on the sudden influx of students checking-out books, realizing that _ah, lunch was ending._ The line felt like it it never ran out of students, but Jisung didn’t mind. It gave him an excuse.

_"_ Quit staring. It’s rude," Jisung feels the poke of a finger on his cheek, specifically on the mole that he’s been teased of back in elementary (along with the chubby cheeks and glasses).

"Oh, did I offend the books?"

"Look, one fell off the shelf. It totally broke them."

The junior shakes his head with a smile, still unconvinced that Minho was two years older than him. The little interactions they’ve had for the past few days baffles him about his hyung’s real age. "It’ll climb back up when I’m not looking," he answers while eyeing the suspicious shades. "What’s with your get-up today?"

"Sty," Minho immediately replies, and Jisung thinks that it was just a cover-up for whatever was really going on with his eyes. "Why? Wanna see how ugly it is?"

"Sure," Jisung bluntly replies, and Minho’s eyebrows raise to his hairline because he wasn’t expecting that answer. "Bet you still look good."

The hint of red on Minho’s ears makes Jisung heat up as well. But he feels like an accomplished man, he was able to make the most beautiful man alive blush.

"What if I tell you it isn’t a sty, but something uglier?" Jisung rolls his eyes and reaches for the shades but smooth, tiny hands curl around his wrists.

"It’s _very ugly_ Jisungie," Minho warns, voice going lower for an eerier effect. Jisung wants to slap himself for thinking that was hot. No one in the right mind should think that a warning was hot.

The school bell rings, and Jisung uses the split second that Minho was distracted to grab the shades, dropping them to the floor when he feels the hands on his wrist tighten.

"What-," Jisung breaks into a teasing smirk, "You said it was so sad that you wanted to cry but I didn’t think you really would!"

Minho throws a middle finger and puts his shades back on then throws a punch at Jisung’s arm, weaker than what the latter expected. His face was beet red, matching his bloodshot and puffy eyes from all the crying he did because of the book, entitled _5 Feet Apart_ ,Jisung recommended to him a few days ago. "This stays only between us you gremlin."

"No promises," Jisung innocently smiles, dodging Minho’s fists from across the counter. "By the way, you can stay in my grandma’s vegetable garden and I wouldn’t able to find you."

Minho rounds the corner and enters Jisung’s station, ignoring the younger’s shrieks as his fingers poke at the tickle spots he knew. A knock on wood stops him from his attack and Jisung breathes in much needed air.

"Bell already rang in case you guys didn’t realize," Both boys get up on their feet and run, Minho thanking the student (which happened to be the person who he hit with a book because he hit Jisung) before bursting out of the door. Jisung giggles along the way, liking the thrill of whatever was happening. He hears Minho laugh too, warmth blooms in his chest despite knowing that he’d get chewed on for being late. It was worth it, he thought.

"Hey," Minho breathlessly calls out before they separate ways. "Recommend me another book." It wasn’t a question, it was a request.

"Later at the library. Let’s read again together," Jisung sends a shy wave before climbing up the stairs, grinning from ear to ear, red blooming from his cheeks, and a certain Lee Minho on his mind (and if the teacher and his classmates, especially Felix noticed how he was smiling while getting an earful, then they didn’t bother to question why.)

—

**Week 2, Wednesday, 5:20pm**

"Hey."

Jisung turns his head to meet Minho’s eyes, and he doesn’t know if it’s the drowsiness or their faces are really close. Well, he was resting on the older’s shoulder, what kind of gap did he expect?

"Hey yourself," Jisung feels Minho shift his legs, bringing them close to his chest. The book they just finished lays neatly on the floor, front side down just like how they positioned books they finish. "What is it?"

"If you were Anna, would you sue your parents?" Minho blinks owlishly at him, eyelashes fluttering in a way that makes Jisung’s heart skip a beat.

"Honestly, I wouldn’t. I can understand that it’s all for her, and I love her, and I know that my parents love me even though I was only made for harvesting and all that," He hears a hum from Minho who shifts his position so that his head was resting on top of the younger’s. The smell of flowery fabric softener that Jisung always remembers seeing (and smelling) in the grocery envelopes his senses. When he passed by its aisle last Saturday while grocery shopping with his roommate, the mental image of Minho sitting next to him reading immediately popped in his mind (Felix had to ask if he was sick, but later figured out that yes he was sick, _lovesick_.)

Jisung feels like they’re too comfortable with each other for people who just met a week ago. But it felt right because of the amount of time they spent and stories they’ve shared, Jisung felt like Minho was a long-time friend. They instantly clicked, and he was grateful that they did.

"Wouldn’t you want to be selfless for once though," Minho drums his fingers on the very little space between them, and Jisung can’t ignore how they sometimes brush on his hand. "And, well, listen to what Kate said...sue the parents."

"I want to give her hope, tell her to hang on a bit more, because you’ll never know what will happen if you give up right away. A miracle could happen in the span of that short time. It’s all a matter of not being afraid to take the risk," Jisung inches his hand closer to Minho’s, testing the waters. "It puts my life at risk, it was always at risk in the first place, but it’s for my sister. We can do anything for the people we love."

Minho chuckles, "Yeah, even hit people with books."

Air gets caught on Jisung’s throat, he wasn’t stupid to not know the reference. But the sudden confession makes his insides flip. "Hyung-"

"Pretend I didn’t say anything," Minho scrambles to get up, Jisung whining at the sudden loss of contact. "Sorry. It just slipped. Let’s head out, it’s getting late."

Jisung can’t help but feel a sting on his heart. _I think I like you too. "_ Thank you."

"Huh?"

"For hitting Yuhee’s boyfriend. Never really got to say that," Jisung lets out a laugh to ease the awkward atmosphere. "Let’s go."

They lock up the library and leave the building in silence. Jisung can feel the wider than normal distance Minho has put between them, but he decides to respect the older’s wishes. What did he really mean? Was it really just a bluff? God, why is love so complicated…it isn’t even love. He just has a crush on the older, nothing serious.

Well, that’s what he keeps on telling himself. As he got to know Minho as not just the guy with a pretty face and physique but him as a person, he thinks his little crush was becoming something _more_.

"Jisungie," Minho’s soft voice snaps Jisung out of his reverie. He didn’t even notice how far they’ve already walked. "Here’s your stop."

_Oh,_ they were already in front of his dorm building, and he can see Felix waving at Minho through their room’s window.

"Hyung! I didn’t know you went to Gimpo Hosu and Geomdan," Jisung sees Minho deflate at the information Felix found. Jisung’s cogs turn, putting pieces together and head spinning once everything dawns on him. Minho knew his name, knew a few things and habits about him, and most importantly: has probably (Jisung doesn’t want to get his hopes up) been into him for a long time now.

"That’s where we studied too! I saw you in my sister’s yearbook when I went home during the weekend. Wow, it really really is a small world!"

Minho responds with an airy 'yeah' before announcing his leave, saying that the bus he’ll take will arrive soon. He bids them goodbye, Jisung catches his eyes for a split second.

_We need to talk._

Minho nods, understanding what the younger wanted, and mouths 'tomorrow' before turning his back and heading towards the metal gates of the school- wind coming out of nowhere and gently ruffling his brown locks.

Jisung sprints towards his room, almost knocking out his freshman friend Jeongin who was with another freshman named Yedam. The door was already open when he arrived, and to his surprise, Hyunjin and Seungmin were both taking off their shoes near the entrance.

"Oh, hi."

Hyunjin mutters something under his breath and flicks Jisung’s forehead, messaging the area after hearing the latter’s pained cry. "Idiot," The older sighs as the three make their way to the main area of the room: the beds. There wasn’t any space for a whole living room, so the two opted to buy good beds to make up for it.

"What did I do?" Jisung whines, flopping on his bed like a starfish.

"Become an idiot, that’s what," Seungmin answers, handing him a strawberry Melona from the plastic bag he was carrying.

"Not fair! You two are ganging up on me! I have single rights!" He screeches. Felix throws a kitchen towel directly on his face, shamelessly smiling when it hits bullseye.

"Sorry 'Sungie, they’re actually right," Felix settles on his bed with his own popsicle in hand, draping his legs across the couple’s. "You’re smart. You can put two and two together."

"I figured that out dumbasses! Like you said, I was smart enough to figure out what was going on," Jisung bites off half of the popsicle, humming contently at the burst of sweetness in his mouth. "But that doesn’t mean-"

"No, it _does mean_!" Hyunjin points at Jisung with his melon popsicle. "How did you never notice him?"

"None of us noticed or knew him!" Jisung whines. 

"I’ve noticed him a couple of times," Seungmin admits, briefly glaring at his boyfriend for taking a bite out of his honeydew popsicle. "It started with the not-so-subtle glances at our cafeteria table during middle school, then he’ll look- well, he still looks- at you and only you during performances or when we're in his radar, and then there were attempts to talk to you but chicken out."

"Minnie, you noticed all these since middle school and you never bothered to tell me- I mean _us_?!" Hyunjin dramatically flops on Felix’s legs with a pout. "Jisung could be a dummy in love right now."

Jisung groans and covers his face with his free hand. "I don’t even know what I’m feeling. I remember finding him stupidly handsome last week and now, now that I spent literally all of my free time with him- got to know him and all that- I think-"

Cheesy enough, scenes of his and Minho’s daily hangout sessions flash before his eyes. From the first time they read a book together, the little pauses they have in between just to talk about anything that comes in mind, the comfortable silence and exchanged words after finishing another book, his cute habit of inserting random drawings from ripped paper on books they’ve finished for future readers to find, and every little detail about Minho that would take Jisung hours to finish talking about.

Come to think of it, he’s been reading books again _and enjoying it_ despite swearing on his life that he’s had enough of them _._ Library duties became bearable, fun even, because Minho would be there. The towering shelves that once reminded him of the horrible place that was The Maze turned into places he and Minho made fun memories, sitting on the floor and leaning on the wooden shelves as they read page after page of Jisung’s recommended book.

_Ah. No point in denying it now._

The ghost of a smile appears on Jisung’s lips, and the words that slip out drove his heart crazy- but it felt right.

"I like him. I like Lee Minho."

—

**Week 2, Friday, 3:25pm**

Compared to what Jisung thought would be eternal awkwardness between them, everything was fine between them after the whole Wednesday incident. They talked the day after- well, it was more of Minho confirming that he did study in those schools and telling Jisung that he didn’t mean what he said in that way through red-tipped ears. Those words pierced through Jisung like arrows but what they were currently doing, cuddled up with a big fluffy blanket draped over them while reading The Little Prince, makes him think that what the senior said was a complete lie.

Or maybe it wasn’t and Jisung was just getting his hopes up. The pieces of information Seungmin told them gives him the right to get his hopes up.

"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important," Minho reads, and Jisung doesn’t miss the fond way he looked at him when he read the quote. "I think this is my favorite quote."  
  
"Why?" ' _Is it because of how you can relate but it’s me and not a rose? '_ was what Jisung wanted to add, but he keeps his mouth shut for the sake of saving both of them from embarrassment.

"What makes someone important is how much time you spend for or with them. Time is precious, every single millisecond is something not to be wasted, but if you’re with someone you love, you won’t mind spending your whole life- 613200 plus hours of your heart beating in your chest- with them."

Minho was totally staring through Jisung’s doe eyes with those brown eyes of his that held the universe. They say a person’s eyes are a window to their soul, and Jisung can see how much sincerity that held. There was also a hidden agenda to it, was the quote directed to him perhaps? Most likely.

( _"I’ve noticed him a couple of times. It started with the not-so-subtle glances at our cafeteria table during middle school, then he’ll look- well, he still looks- at you and only you during performances, and then there were attempts to talk to you but chicken out.")_

"Cute," The blonde coos, poking the older’s cheek. "Does it remind you of anyone?"

"My cats, family, and friends," Minho enumerates. _And you_ …

Jisung hears invisible glass shatter into a thousand pieces. Alright, scratch that romantic scenario he made in his head because Minho isn’t gonna have any of that. Ever.

"Oh," He pathetically answers. _Nice going Jisung, you sound so desperate goddamnit._

Minho raises his eyebrow and a cheshire smirk forms on his lips, "Why? Did you expect me to say 'you'?"

Panic fills every cell of Jisung’s body. Yes he wanted to get hit on so that his suspicions are confirmed but once it did happen every pick-up line and comeback remark gets thrown out of the window.

_Well, fuck._

He’s on autopilot now, and autopilot meant a broken filter and his body acting before thinking. Jisung shoves Minho, _hard_ , and the brunette falls to the ground in a giggling mess. His flailing hand somehow makes its way to Jisung’s wrist, and he pulls him down with him like the little devil he was. Jisung’s face crash lands on his well-defined pecs, _Good Lord I think I’m gonna have a nosebleed right here right now._

There they were, in the middle of bookshelves M-1 and M-2, bodies pressed next to each other and the fluffy blanket tangled between their bodies. Totally not an obscene scene that’s driving Jisung insane. Before he can blow up and litter the library with his blood and insides, he rolls of Minho and settles next to him, steadying his breathing and his heart.

He was well aware of how his neck, ears, and face were colored in the deepest shade of red possible for a human to have. The boy beside him was going to be the death of him. He sees Minho turns to his side, struggling because of the yellow cloth, and gives him another fond smile. (He does that a lot, stares and smiles at Jisung which scream fond in big, bold, capital letters.)

"When someone blushes, doesn’t that mean 'yes'?"

Let’s just say Felix kicked them out of the library for creating a ruckus, saying he’ll take care of everything as long as they leave but hand him the comfy blanket. The school field served as their temporary reading base, curled up next to each other _again_ with their bums planted on the freshly cut grass. Minho comments about the weather being perfect, just the right amount of sunlight and wind; but all Jisung could think about is how every moment with him, whether it’d be in the middle of a storm in a rickety shed or in the sides of a field on a beautiful day, will always be perfect.

—

**Week 3, Tuesday, 1:40pm**

So maybe he was being _too_ dramatic when he said every moment as long as he’s with Minho will be perfect.

Being forced to sit in a chair and watch Minho do all of the work he was supposed to do is _not_ perfect. His immune system a few hours ago thought it’d be a swell idea to weaken and let the rhinovirus in and make him suffer. _On the fucking day he was supposed to confess._

No, he refuses to declare his feelings for the older through a clogged nose and heavy eyelids because there is nothing romantic about that at all. Who would want to say yes to a walking disease?

"You should really go back to the dorms Jisungie," Minho slides next to him after finishing the library work. "You can’t continue classes looking like…that."

Jisung’s groans are muffled by the jacket he’s laying on face down, which he assumed smells like flowery fabric softener because his sense of smell is non-existent right now. "I had plans and life decided to ruin it all. Step on legos and stub your toe bitch."

Minho chuckles and helps Jisung to get back on his feet. "I have plans too, but taking care of you is more important. Besides, my plan involved you."

Oh. _Oh_. Jisung feels the flutter of butterflies in his stomach. Minho arranged something for them to do, and Jisung has the urge to scrounge his insides and take out the virus with his bare hands...if that was possible.

"So, where are we going now?"

"Back to your room. Nothin will go through that head of yours if you’re not well," Jisung lets Minho walk him back to his dorm, eyelids getting heavier each passing second he might pass out in the middle of the school grounds. So much for a supposedly romantic day.

They arrive at the room in one piece, Jisung collapsing on his bed the second he feels his feet are free from his combat boots. He shuts down on the spot, not giving two cents about what the older would do after. It was only 6 hours after, when the sky was already littered with stars and the full moon shone through their window, that he found out that the older skipped classes to take care of him- cook soup and change the wet cloth on his forehead and all. Felix sent him as much teasing remarks and looks as he can. Jisung only notices the ripped paper on his desk mid-eating the crab and corn soup, 'get well soon' written in red ink and the o's were decorated with wrinkly faces. Felix teases him harder after the discovery of the paper and the realization that all this time it was Minho who gave him the pieces of paper he always found on his desk from elementary to middle school _("When you were in your last year, the papers disappear because he isn’t in school anymore!" Felix screeches, too loud for sick Jisung’s liking. "You absolute idiot he's giving you signs and your dumb brain didn't even notice it!")_

The drawings on the papers were often laughed at by Jisung, rarely did he find them jaw-dropping or cool. They brought happiness to him though, a tiny guest that never failed to put a smile on his face. Now that he found out that Minho was the artist behind the thousands of doodles he has hidden in his drawer at home, it gives him a big boost of confidence to confess.

But first, he should beat this damn virus.

—

**Week 3, Friday, 5:29pm**

Exactly three weeks ago, Jisung made a fool out of himself in front of Minho; from ogling at him like a creep because his leather jeans were doing wonders to calling him someone straight out of Da Vinci’s painting. Now, as he makes his way to the library with a skip in his step and huge grin on his face, he’ll try to not make a fool out of himself because he’ll finally, _finally_ confess. He’s not going to chicken out again, unlike the past few days where he’d go back to is dorm and curse at his reflection for backing out the last second.

Jisung makes his way to the bookshelf Minho had texted him to go to

...only to find _nothing._ No Minho, no book to read, nothing- just the expanse of books in the bookshelf and empty aisle.

"Minho hyung?" Jisung looks for the senior in the whole expanse of the first floor, and the only trace of the boy he finds is the yellow post-it that directs him to section R, specifically where they first met.

Panic bubbles in Jisung’s throat, _Is Minho hyung doing what I was going to do?!_

He runs up to the second floor, rushing over to the instructed place to find 8 books lined on the floor like it was going to be used for some sort of summoning ritual. Jisung inspects each book closer, they were books that the two have them read over the past weeks. A letter on each book title was covered by a paper cut out of Minho’s iconic jureumi. Cute.

_5 Feet Apart, Minho wrote the word 'five’ on a post-it and covered the letter I_

_The Little Prince, letter L_

_The Fault in Our Stars, letter I_

_My Sister’s Keeper, letter K_

_Everything, Everything, letter E_

_Library of Souls, letter Y_

_The Last Time I Saw Mother, letter O_

_Asylum, letter U_

Jisung’s heart is racing a mile per minute. His hands were shaking and clammy, and he’s sure his cheeks and ears are flushed.

"I like you," He hears Minho from behind, his velvety voice hitting directly Jisung’s heart and making his knees weak.

"You know, just in case you can't decipher what the heck it means. I...I like you."

_Fuck, this was really happening._

Jisung clumsily stands up and turns around fast enough to almost give himself whiplash. Minho was wearing exactly what he wore 3 weeks ago, cream colored hoodie and leather jeans with his doodled converse. His hair was swept up this time, exposing his whole forehead, and Jisung admits that this is his best look of all time.

"I-" Jisung cuts off his shaky voice with a laugh, overwhelmed with emotions. "Can you say that again? Please?"

Minho glares at him. "Dumbass said it twice! You're on your own."

Jisung giggles at the older's attempt at acting stubborn. _What a tsundere..._

"I wasn't listening the first time! Nor the second...what did you say again?"

"Han Jisung," Minho steps closer, _one step_ , _two steps_ , _three steps_ , until they were a few inches apart, close enough that Jisung can feel the heat radiating off of him. "I like you. I’ve liked you ever since you stepped foot in our middle school with those round cheeks and oversized sweaters of yours."

"So not during elementary? With the transformers t-shirts and ninjago sandals?"

They share a laugh at the memory. "I guess I was quite fond. But I found out I was sure about what I was feeling when I saw you get your arm broken because you saved the cat you always fed at the back of the school. Also, my gay awakening happened during middle school."

"So I had to break my arm for a cat so that you’d fall for me?!" Jisung screeches and hits Minho’s chest. The latter lets out a hearty laugh, capturing Jisung’s wrists and entangling their fingers together.

"Han Peter Jisung,"

Jisung glares at him but Minho only smiles wider. 

"Will you go out with me?"

Jisung braces himself and steps closer, tiptoeing so that his lips were almost brushing against the older’s.

"When someone blushes, doesn’t that mean 'yes'?"

—end—

**Author's Note:**

> tysm for reading! i really enjoyed participating in this event so shoutout to the minsungficathon mod for organizing this (thank you mod-nim!) might do an alternate fic or prequel for this to understand minho's pov better ><;
> 
> (p.s. the quote about blushing is actually from The Little Prince hahaha)
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/_bodaramjis)   
>  [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/bodaramjis)


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